Set in that lull between spring break and the end of the semester, when academic work starts picking up again and fourth-year students are busy with capstone work, the End of the Year Gala brought a refreshing change of pace to life at NYU Abu Dhabi. It was an opportunity for graduating students to enjoy one last NYUAD event and for underclassmen to let their hair down.

The St. Regis Corniche welcomed 300 well-dressed NYUAD students, some sporting beautiful masks in accordance to the theme of the night: Midsummer Night's Dream Masquerade.

The event, which was planned by Student Government in past years, was given over to the Programming Board for the Spring 2019 term. Members of the board spent weeks in advance working on every aspect of the event, from decorations down to the menu.

“Because it was the first gala planned by the Programming Board, there were quite a few bumps along the road and it was without a doubt a long and stressful process. It was, however, all worth it in the end seeing that we had incredible turnout and students were having a great time,” commented Christine Dah-In Chung, Class of 2019 and chair of the Programming Board.

The gala kicked off with a dinner catered by the St. Regis. Students enjoyed the food while they milled around the room, talking to their friends and enjoying the thoughtful decorations.

"Going to the gala is always an interesting experience. It is an event meant for the entire school but it tends to feel almost like a parting party for the seniors. Nostalgia aside, I really like the masquerade theme, it added a flair to the entire event which I think made it more involving than previous years." said Guillermo Schlamp, Class of 2020.

The masks ranged from comical to aesthetically pleasing, some even choosing to match their masks to the color of their dresses or coordinate with friends.

"It was one howl of a night..." Luis Carlos Soto, Class of 2019, who wore matching wolf masks with Adam Nagy, also Class of 2019. "What a howlsome night" added Nagy.

After the dinner, Christine gave a speech thanking the attendees. She also called for a round of applause for her fellow members of the programming board and the effort they put into making the gala happen. She announced some of the upcoming Programming Board activities, including Spirit Week which begins Sunday, Apr. 21.

“We have already received extremely positive feedback and it makes us proud every time we see a gala photo on social media. We do recognize that there are areas of improvement, which we will take into consideration for future events moving forward. All in all, we felt the event was a memorable success, and we can't wait to start our next program, Spirit Week!” said Christine of the event.

The music was supplied by Fatih Haloglu, Jacob Chagnon, Firas Atwa, all Class of 2019 students, and Mateo Cruz, Class of 2020, from the DJ SIG called Beats per Minute.

"In our small campus we sometimes grow very distant to those not in our close groups. Mixing at the Gala and seeing all types of students chant to Queen made us remember how close we actually are to each other," said Cruz.

The gala was an overall success according to both students who attended and the Programming Board.

“It’s always an amazing experience to work with my Programming Board team, and I’m so proud of everyone. This event was just one of the many events we organized this year, and we always work hard to create a memorable experience for everyone, so I’m always glad to see people participating, talking about the events and sharing their experience online and with us. This event was our largest event of the year and a lot has been leading up to this, so I hope everyone had a great time!” said Melika Shahin, Class of 2022.